USA > California > San Diego County > San Diego county, California; a record of settlement, organization, progress and achievement, Volume I > Part 21
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CHAPTER XXII
STREET RAILWAYS
To successfully anticipate the requirements of a city growing in population and area as is San Diego and its suburbs, is an undertaking almost without a parallel in any city of the United States. Many street railway officials of long experience in various cities of the east have frankly expressed their sur- prise at the splendid street car service of this city and the uniform excellent condition of its rolling stock and equipment. Taken as a whole the street car system of San Diego today, to say the least, compares quite favorably with those of any cities twice its size. In point of efficiency there is no community in the world being better served than the people of San Diego. As a matter of comparison take for instance the city of Indianapolis, Indiana, a city noted for its excellent street car system. The population of Indianapolis is about six times that of San Diego. Yet it is stated that an average of two hundred and forty-five cars is in daily operation there or barely three times the number operated in San Diego. The total trackage of Indianapolis is one hundred and forty miles, less than two and a half times that of San Diego.
The plans at present outlined by the management of the San Diego Electric Railway Company not only indicate that the present high standard of its rolling stock, equipment and service will be maintained, but will be amply improved and increased upon as needs of the city and outlying district grow. The San Diego Electric Railway Company has now a total trackage of sixty and fifty- three one-hundredths mile, of which nine and fifty-three one-hundredths were constructed during the past year. Twenty and forty-five one-hundredths miles are double tracked. Eighty-three passenger cars and numerous business cars are now being operated. Twenty-four new cars of the large "pay-as-you- enter" central entrance type were purchased the past year at a cost of $125,000. These cars were placed in service on the Fifth street line, or what is called Route No. 1, which in point of traffic is the heaviest in the city. With the additional equipment a three minute service has been established on this line morning and evening where a few years ago a twenty minute service was quite sufficient. It also enabled the company to rearrange and improve the service on other lines and more particularly to relieve the congestion theretofore prevailing on the Third street line. The routes in all directions are direct and sufficiently close in the outlying districts to provide adequate transportation to every section with- in the municipal boundaries and beyond to several suburbs.
The company is at present having a sample car constructed in St. Louis of the central entrance pay-as-you-enter type. This car will have a larger carrying capacity than those now in service on route No. I. The seating capacity will
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be fifty-two passengers. It will also contain larger motors and the entire frame of the car will be of steel construction. There will be a number of other improve- ments over the car of similar type now in use here, among which will be the elimination of the inside step at the center of the main body of the car, which has been a somewhat objectionable feature. As soon as this car is tested and proven satisfactory, a substantial order will be placed for additional equipment of this class for the earliest possible shipment.
If the present plans of stopping cars at alternate blocks outside the district bounded by Tenth street on the east, Ash on the north, H on the south, and First on the west are approved by the people of San Diego, and the extremely short blocks make this proposed change absolutely imperative for a safer, faster and roomier service, San Diego will have without a doubt an unquestioned supremacy over all cities no matter what their size, as regards street car service. This inno- vation will be demanded by the public in time to come, but it is the policy of the company and likewise one of the most important duties of the management to anticipate the requirements of the traveling public, which they serve consider- ing above all other matters the safe, quick and comfortable transportation of patrons. Therefore, just as soon as cars are required to stop only at alternate blocks instead of every two or three hundred feet as in the past, people of San Diego will enjoy the most efficient, convenient and safe-guarded street car facili- ties in the United States and this means the world.
Very few people realize that the heart of an electric street railway is its power house. People in a general kind of way say "Put on more cars," but they do not realize that every car that goes on the road calls for more power in the power house, and that more power calls for larger power houses. The San Diego Electric Company's power house including engines, etc. up to date rep- resents an investment of more than $800,000, and is continuously calling for more money. During the coming spring a new engine will be set up in the power house which is larger than all the other engines in the house put together. The railroad officials feel they must have complete duplicate equipment. Sup- posing one engine breaks down, they must have another one to take its place. They must be prepared to run the cars under all conditions for the convenience of the public. Things have changed since the old days, when Commodore Van- derbilt gave utterance to the expression "The public be damned." All the rail- roads are swinging around to the point where they are looking for public approval and commendation. Just as the merchant wants to satisfy his customers, so do street railways and the great railroads of the United States hope to achieve the best results by satisfying the people.
The pay roll of the San Diego Electric Railway Company is perhaps of some interest to many people, especially in a comparison with one year ago. From January I to December 1, 1911, the total number of employes was 441 and the total wages, $322,825.89. From January I to December 1, 1912, the total number of employes was 566 and total wages $428.744.23, or an increase of $105,918.34. These figures represent a period of eleven months.
Up to December 1, 1912, the total number of passengers carried was 21,421,- 510 as compared with 16,286,272 for the same period in 1911. The number of car men employed is 281 and the wages paid to December 1, 1912, total, $194,- 476.54; to December 1, 1911, $145,652. While on the subject of car men it is
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not out of place to mention that one will go far before finding a more loyal, efficient and courteous body of men than is found on the cars of the San Diego Electric Railway Company. The climatic conditions prevailing from one end of the year to another makes railroading in San Diego ideal and no one can appreciate this fact more than the fellow who on extra duty in eastern cities has time and again been ousted from bed by the caller at two o'clock in the morning to get out on the plow and "buck snow."
Another pleasant fact is that the thoroughfares of San Diego are almost entirely free of the dreaded railroad crossing. On the entire lines of the San Diego Electric Railway there are but six crossings. In addition to work under most pleasant conditions the car men now have a place of their own for rest and amusement. During the last year the San Diego Electric Railway Company rented a suite of three large rooms in the Spreckels theater building and donated them to the car men to be used as club rooms. In these new quarters is a read- ing room supplied with the leading magazines and technical publications of various kinds. In the center of the suite is a large room equipped with pool and billiard tables. The third room is furnished with various athletic devices such as punching bags suspended from concrete tables, boat rower, medicine ball, boxing gloves, dumb bells, etc. Added to the advantages derived in a physical way from the athletic devices in the club rooms and in a mental way from the excellent general line of literature in the reading room, we must not omit to men- tion that simultaneously with the opening of the club rooms there was published the first edition of a monthly magazine devoted entirely to the usage of car men as a means of general communication, known as "The San Diego Trolley." This magazine promises to be a successful venture in every way and the car men have every reason to be as proud of their magazine as they are of their club rooms.
MISSION CLIFF GARDENS
Mission Cliff Gardens located at the northern terminus of No. I car line, are owned and maintained by the San Diego Electric Railway Company. This is one of the most attractive botanical gardens in the country as well as a wonderful view spot. The company has spared no expense in adding to the beauty of this place. The magnificent flower beds, foliage and plant life in all stages is intensely interesting to visitors. The view of valley, mountains and ocean is without any exaggeration unsurpassed in this state. Other attractions at the Gardens are the huge bird cage, sheltering nearly three hundred birds, the deer paddock containing eight deer, the lily pond in which during the summer months may be seen as many as two hundred and fifty lilies in bloom at the same time and about twenty different varieties; and the pavilion, a favorite meeting place of state and other societies. An artistic waiting room of cobble stone masonry and gray stucco was constructed at the entrance to the Gardens last year. In one corner of the garden is the Bentley Ostrich farm.
The first street railway franchise granted by the city of San Diego was to Dr. John McCoy, of Pasadena, October 18, 1885. The ordinance provided that no road should be built on any street until it had been graded by the city. Com- plications arose of this unfortunate provision, the observance of which Dr. McCoy resisted. He did not build any street railways.
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HISTORY OF SAN DIEGO COUNTY
The next franchise granted (two at one meeting) were to Messrs. Santee, Evans, Mathus, Babcock, Gruendike and Story, and to Reed, Choate and others, in March, 1886. April 15, 1886, articles of incorporation of the San Diego Street Car Company were filed. In Angust the trustees gave a franchise to George Neal and James McCoy for a railroad between Old and New San Diego.
The first car (a horse car) was run on Fifth street, July 4, 1886. This line was two miles long. The second line was built on D street, and was 114 miles long ; the third was the H street line, 31/2 miles long ; and the next was the First street line, 34 mile long. From this on, construction was rapid. On January 1, 1888, there were 36 4-5 miles of street railroads in operation and in course of construction and about ten miles more being surveyed. The San Diego & Old Town Motor Railroad was opened November 21, 1887, and reached Pacific Beach, April 1, 1888. Its officers were: President, J. R. Thomas ; secretary and manager, A. G. Gassen : directors, J. R. Thomas, A. G. Gassen, R. A. Thomas, E. W. Morse, T. Metcalf, D. B. Hale and O. S. Hubbell. It was extended to La Jolla in 1889.
The articles of incorporation of the National City & Otay Railroad Company (motor) were filed in December, 1886. The capital stock was $100,000, later increased to $1,300,000, and the Land & Town Company was a very large stock- holder. The road was opened for business Jannary 1, 1887. It has branch lines to Chula Vista and other points. It has since been acquired by the Spreckels system and converted into a trolley line.
The Coronado Belt Line was one of the earliest railroads begun. It was constructed by the Coronado Beach Company in connection with the develop- ment of the hotel property. The line extends from the Coronado Ferry wharf to the foot of Fifth street, San Diego, following the shore of the bay, and is 21.29 miles long.
January 1, 1888, the names of the steam motor companies, and mileage of their tracks, were as follows:
Miles
National City & Otay Railway Company 40
Coronado Railway 1 1/2
Coronado Belt Railway 2114
San Diego, Old Town & Pacific Beach
City & University Heights Railway 12
Pacific Coast Steamship Company's Railway I-3
Ocean Beach Railway 312
Roseville & Old Town Railway
I
La Jolla Park Railway
The following were the electric and horse railways :
Miles
San Diego Electric Street Railway 41/2
San Diego Street Railway System ( horse) 9
National City & Otay Railway (7th street) 3-4
National City Street Railway 21/2
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HISTORY OF SAN DIEGO COUNTY
The single electric line in operation was owned and operated by the Electric Rapid Transit Street Car Company of San Diego, of which George D. Copeland was president. The first piece of road which it constructed was from the foot of D street in a northerly direction along the bay shore, for four miles, to Old Town. This line began operation in November, 1887. The next electric road constructed was that from the Pacific Coast Steamship Company's wharf to University Heights, four miles. The total cost of these lines up to the same date was as follows :
Horse car lines
$315,000
Motor car lines
1,006,000
Electric car lines 100,000
$1,421,000
The new roads projected at that time were estimated to cost a half million more, but few, if any, of them were ever built.
The San Diego Cable Car Company was incorporated and began work in August, 1889. Its line extended from the foot of Sixth street to C, thence to Fourth, and up Fourth to Spruce. The enterprise was started by George D. Copeland and incorporated by John C. Fisher, D. D. Dare, J. W. Collins, George B. Hensley and H. F. Norcross. The power house was built in 1889, at a cost of $30,000 and was placed at the head of the canyon on Fourth and Spruce streets, where some remains of the cement foundations may still be seen. The line was formally opened June 7, 1890. It was at that time thought that this development meant a great deal for San Diego. Electric railways were then in their infancy and many people thought the cable system preferable. The failure of the California National Bank, its principal backer, with the long continued depression which followed, caused the failure of the road. After being for some time in the hands of a receiver, its property and franchise were sold to an electric railway company, in January, 1892. Such, in brief, is the history of San Diego's first and only cable car line.
With the collapse of the boom, a reaction from the too-rapid building of street car lines was to be expected. A number of the weak companies failed and were absorbed by the stronger ones. All the motor roads went out of business or were converted into electric lines, except the National City & Otay and the San Diego, Old Town & Pacific Beach railways. On January 30, 1892, the entire property of the San Diego Street Car Company passed into the hands of A. B. Spreckels, for the sum of $115,000. This purchase included practically all of the live trackage in the city, and with the lines since acquired, comprises all the older lines in the city. Mr. Spreckels immediately incorporated the San Diego Electric Railway Company to operate his lines.
The transformation of all the lines to electric power began in May, 1892, and was carried vigorously to completion. At the present time, the company operates many miles of track in the city and has ten miles more under construction. Early in 1907, it began operating ten miles of interurban track between San Diego and Chula Vista.
The motor line to La Jolla, of which the old San Diego, Old Town & Pacific Beach Railway formed a portion, now belongs to the Los Angeles & San Diego
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HISTORY OF SAN DIEGO COUNTY
Beach Railway Company. The road has been converted into a trolley line. There is also in operation an electric street railway to connect with its La Jolla line, running up C street to Sixth, south on Sixth to its foot, and thence south- easterly to the Cuyamaca depot.
The South Park and East Side Railway, an enterprise growing out of the operations of the Bartlett estate under the presidency of E. Bartlett Webster, began active construction in March, 1906. Its first line ran from Twenty-fifth and D to Thirtieth and Amherst streets, a distance of a mile and a half, the power house being located at the terminal. During the early part of 1907 the line was extended to Twenty-fifth and F, down F to Fourth, and up Fourth to C, thus reaching the heart of the business district. This line, which has become a strong factor in local transportation and the development of the residence dis- trict on the east side, is reaching out toward the bay in one direction, and toward the back country in the other.
"LOS BANOS" (BATH HOUSE) AT SAN DIEGO
3
METAL TELEGRAP
SOUTHERN
FIFTH STREET. LOOKING NORTH FROM E STREET
CHAPTER XXIII
THE ARIZONA & SAN DIEGO RAILROAD
The ambition of San Diego for a direct eastern outlet dates back to the early '30s, more than three-quarters of a century. The first organized effort, expressed in the incorporation of the "San Diego & Gila," began in 1854. The success of the citizens in securing the extension of the Santa Fe system during the 'Sos did not meet the demand for a direct eastern outlet and was disappoint- ing in other respects. The great effort begun in the summer of 1901, and per- sistently pushed in every channel of possible relief, had apparently accomplished nothing more than educational results. The year of 1906 had indeed been one of the most prosperous in San Diego history, yet as the year drew toward its close the prospect of a direct eastern railroad outlet appeared as remote as at any time during the previous decade. In fact, the most recent developments went far to convince the public that the city was helpless in the grasp of a transportation monopoly which could defeat, and meant to defeat, as it had defeated, every aspiration in that direction.
From this situation the city was suddenly delivered by the mandate of the one man who had sufficient capital of his own to build the road and sufficient interests at stake to justify him in doing so. And it is a high tribute to the character and reputation of John D. Spreckels to say that his simple word was accepted by all as a sufficient guaranty of the performance. The authoritative announcement of his purpose in his own newspaper constituted a contract with the entire San Diego public and the public accepted it as such. The San Diegan- Sun, which is entirely independent of the Spreckels interests and has opposed them on many occasions, unquestionably voiced the sentiment of the entire community when it said :
"The Sun feels at liberty to say what the Union and Tribune, through modesty enforced by personal ownership, are unable to say, that San Diego lifts its hat and gives voice to an unrestrained cheer for John D. Spreckels. To Mr. Spreckels is frankly given the credit for securing to San Diego what has long been San Diego's most urgent need-a railway direct to the east.
"While as a matter of course the fact is generally appreciated that the road is not yet built, and that so far only incorporation papers have been filed, this move made by Mr. Spreckels and announced by Mr. Spreckels' newspaper, is accepted by San Diegans unanimously as meaning, substantially and capably. that all necessary preliminary plans have been perfected by Mr. Spreckels and that the railway line now incorporated will be constructed as rapidly as a work of such gigantic proportions can be executed.
Vol. I-12
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HISTORY OF SAN DIEGO COUNTY
"Big enterprises undertaken and successfully accomplished by Mr. Spreckels here and in the central portion of the state give warrant to the conclusion that the plans now announced will be carried to equal success and that the eastern outlet so long hoped for will be realized as speedily as possible.
"It will not be necessary to explain to old San Diegans what the construction of such a road will mean to this city and country, for all this has been figured out many times. It is doubtful, however, if even the closest student of the situation can appreciate the final limit of the results of such an enterprise, as it is given to no one to see all the details of the future. One result plainly visible is that this move will break, and break forever, the antagonistic power of the combined railway interests, which for years has been exerted against San Diego. Not only will this adverse influence be broken but it will be forced under the new conditions to become a friendly factor in the upbuilding of this port.
"This turn in affairs will be realized no matter what corporate relations Mr. Spreckels may establish. If he engages in the business independently, as he and his brother and father did at the inauguration of the San Joaquin enterprise, then it will follow that the Southern Pacific will be forced to build here to protect itself from competition.
"If Mr. Spreckels allies himself with the Southern Pacific and if the road to be built by Mr. Spreckels is to become a part of the Harriman system, then the Santa Fe will be compelled to come across lots from Arizona to secure a portion of the trade of Imperial Valley and a shorter route to this port.
"If Mr. Spreckels allies himself with the Santa Fe, then it will be for the Southern Pacific to follow, and without doubt it will follow and follow in a hurry.
"Looked at it in any way possible it means that the railway combine against San Diego is broken at last, and looked at in some ways it appears to be plain that the building of one road will eventually be followed by the almost immediate construction of another. With these prospects assured, San Diegans have a right to lift their hats to John D. Spreckels."
The articles of incorporation of the San Diego and Arizona Railway Com- pany bore the date of June 14, 1906, although they were not filed with the county clerk until six months later. They provided for the construction of a railroad from San Diego "in a general easterly direction by the most practicable route to a point at or near Yuma, in the Territory of Arizona." The incorporators were John D. Spreckels, A. B. Spreckels, John D. Spreckels, Jr., William Clay- ton and Harry L. Titus. The capital stock was fixed at $6,000,000, of which $200,000 were paid in at the time of incorporation. The announcement in the Union was quickly followed by two substantial acts of good faith on the part of Mr. Spreckels. One of these was the filing of condemnation suits as a means of obtaining right of way through some of the most valuable property in the lower part of the city; the other was the announcement that the entire sum of money collected by the San Diego and Eastern Railroad Committee in 1901, and expended in the effort to promote the project, would be repaid by the San Diego and Arizona Railway Company. In both instances, Mr. Spreckels insisted on paying for what the citizens would doubtless have offered as a free gift in the form of a subsidy. Indeed they would doubtless have supplemented all this with much richer subsidies in the way of cash and land. Mr. Spreckels preferred to
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be absolutely independent and free of obligations alike to the public and to private individuals. Thus it happened that hundreds of people who had contributed to the railroad fund five years previously received a most unexpected Christmas present in addition to the assurance of a new railroad.
It is most interesting to note that San Diego is perhaps indebted for its good fortune to the calamity which befell San Francisco on April 18, 1906. Mr. Spreckels and his family were San Francisco refugees, though they fled from the burning city in their own steamer and found shelter in their own magnificent Hotel del Coronado. Mr. Spreckels had been very ill a few weeks before and had planned to go abroad for a prolonged stay. The destruction of San Fran- cisco changed his plans and he came to San Diego to remain for months. During those months the railroad project took shape in his mind, so that it may be said that as San Diego lost a railroad by the unforeseen event of the great panic in 1873. so it gained a railroad by the unforeseen disaster at the Golden Gate in 1906. As its history was powerfully influenced in the wrong direction by the earlier event, so it will be powerfully influenced in the right direction by the later event.
While unstinted praise is given to Mr. Spreckels for the consummation of the railroad hopes, the labors of many others over a long period of years should not be forgotten. These efforts did not produce tangible results, but they were not thrown away. Every article written in favor of the direct eastern outlet, every meeting held in its behalf, every movement set on foot to that end, from the days of Fremont to the days of Spreckels, contributed something to the final result. The cause that has faithful friends is never lost. The cause that can endure through more than two generations and inspire the enthusiasm of a community when failures have been so numerous as to pass into a proverb known throughout the state-such a cause can know only triumph in the end. It was this triumph which came to the people on the memorable 14th of December, 1906, and which brought San Diego to the threshold of 1907 with rare exultation in its heart.
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